William Wolf Handel, more popularly known as Bill Handel, is a top radio personality in the Los Angeles area of California. His weekday morning program, The Bill Handel Show, is the most popular morning show in Los Angeles, despite his controversial personality. On weekends, Handel also hosts a legal show, Handel on the Law in which he famously informs callers that they have absolutely no case. Some term Handel a “shock jock” for his forceful expressions and juvenile brand of humor, but supporters describe him as having moderate beliefs and an active support for total political incorrectness. His forceful personality has repeatedly landed him and his radio station, KFI640, in hot water.

A self-proclaimed “Latino Jew,” Handel was born in Brazil to a Brazilian mother and Jewish father who had emigrated from Poland to South America. The family moved to the United States when Bill was a child, and he received the majority of his education in Southern California. After graduating from Whittier Law School, Bill Handel became extremely active in legal cases involving surrogate parenting, and continues to actively support surrogacy for childless couples as director of the Center for Surrogate Parenting.

Handel is often incorrectly identified as having “conservative” views, similar to Rush Limbaugh. In truth, he argues a mostly centrist viewpoint, supporting a tightly-run fiscal policy and the death penalty, but also supporting protection of civil liberties like free speech and hot-button issues such as gay marriage. In fact, in both his work with the Center for Surrogate Parenting and on his radio show, Bill Handel has frequently insisted that not only should gay marriage be allowed but that there should be no additional requirements allowing gay couples to adopt or have surrogate children.

Using an extremely aggressive argumentative style, Bill Handel generally manages to anger far-left and far-right partisans. His radio show became the target of so many complaints, they began issuing a rapid-fire blanket apology at the end of each program, apologizing at absolutely everyone they may have offended. While detractors consider him a loud-mouthed, antagonizing fool, his supporters say that his aggressive style and frequently offensive comments are both political arguments and satire in the vein of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, just louder.

The Bill Handel Show is a four-hour weekday morning program, which is available live on the radio, the internet and in podcast form. The first hour is commentary, letters from listeners and general banter between Handel and “the Morning Crew,” a group of other radio personalities and station producers. From 6-7 am, the “Handel on the News” segment involves discussion and mocking of daily headlines. The show will then usually feature an in-depth interview with guests or a long discussion on a single topic, followed by a late edition of “Handel on the News.”

Whether or not you agree with Bill Handel’s viewpoints, his presence in the radio world is highly influential. He has won several local and nationwide awards for his work, and will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. By refusing to accept much of the dogma of either Democratic or Republican doctrines, his show offers a refreshing, if profanity-laced, listening opportunity for a large group of listeners who share similarly mixed viewpoints.

Discuss this Article

anon357691Post 10

Whenever you read a description of someone as "centrist," you don't need to know another thing about them. You've just been advised this person as a raving liberal whack job, who occasionally makes disingenuous statements like, "I voted for Ronald Reagan, but" and other blatant lies, that only a feeble minded democrat voter is going to believe anyway. However, it just muddies the water when you try to attempt a rational argument in good faith, accepting someone's fraudulent bona fides.

anon343595Post 9

Handel is quite tiresome. Lawyers everywhere cringe when he gives legal advice. He thinks he's so smart but he's not very well read, acts pretty stupid and is mostly carried on his morning show by the other crew. Personally, I think Handel is dumb and therefore not very entertaining.

anon119557Post 7

Bill Handel has been described in a variety of ways, but assuming that his style is intentional and contrived, he is obviously not very competent,

regardless of the ratings.

If he was fully competent as a "talk show" host,

he wouldn't resort to humor that usually appeals to the mind and general sensibilities of a 12-year old boy, he wouldn't make bigoted remarks on a regular basis and he wouldn't display such constant, overwhelming evidence of stupidity.

One can only assume that he was probably not

competent (or barely so) as an attorney, as his sense of logic is severely lacking and his store of legal knowledge extremely limited.

Indeed, much of the advice he gives on his "legal" show

is more layman than professional. When I hear his voice while surfing the late-night radio dial, I immediately hit the button again, but yesterday I delayed my reaction just long enough to hear him insult a member of another ethnic group - this time a Filipina - which was more than enough of Handel for another year, and hopefully, never again if I'm lucky at radio roulette.

Bill Handel is evidence of a very sick culture. Very pathetic and sad.

"Handel is often incorrectly identified as having “conservative” views, similar to Rush Limbaugh."

You can say that again. I have been listening to the show since 2005, right around the latest election the show has turned way to the left, and during the campaign it was as if Handel was campaigning for Obama.

During the health care reform process you could win money by betting that Handel would put in a positive spin on health care reform on any given day.

Lately it is the daily bashing of Toyota and the Catholic church. On a show two days ago he accused latinos of condoning child molestation by priests; his advertisers are not amused. He calls himself a Latino, which in his mind I guess makes it OK to insult his "own" kind. He may have been born in Brazil, but he is as Latino as John Wayne was Filipino.

anon70617Post 3

bill handel is great! smart and doesn't put up with stupid callers. talks of huge range of topics with informative guests. works many hours on radio. i don't like the morning show with other hosts, i only like to hear bill handel talk. the other hosts on the morning show are stupid. i like his afternoon show m-f 12-2 and saturday show "on the law". however i can't find podcast updates to afternoon show since February, and don't know why. canceled? now a fee? or what. hope to find out soon.

anon62843Post 2

I so much appreciate Bill Handel. Finally someone who has no political bias (seems to be somewhere in the middle), who is not politically correct, looks at both sides of the story and tells it like it is in language I can understand. He's trying to get to the truth. That is what I need -- someone who can break it down for me and I can trust them to tell all and not lean one way or the other.

anon43721Post 1

The third paragraph compares Handel to himself:

"Handel is often incorrectly identified as having 'conservative' views, similar to Rush Limbaugh or Bill Handel."

Moderator's reply: That error has been fixed. Thanks for letting us know and for visiting wiseGEEK!

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